Kenyon Cox was born in Ohio and studied at the Cincinnati Art School, then the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, following that he decided to pursue training in Paris under Jean Leon Gerome. His drawing skills were recognized from the start and he remained in Paris for five years. His love for the figure and devotion to the Ideal in Art was a lifelong interest, He became a popular instructor at the Art Students League in New York City and later ventured into writing on Art and his thoughts on painting are spot on. His son Alyn was also a gifted painter.